Responsible Travel through Namibia

SUSTAINABLE & CONSCIOUS TRAVEL

As a specialist for adventurous individual self-drive tours through Namibia and southern Africa, Explore Namibia offers opportunities for people to gain new experiences, discover new cultures and create fantastic memories. In our planning, we always take the environment, nature, people and culture into account, so that traveling will be maintainable in the future. This means that we focus on sustainable and conscious travel.

Create unique lifelong memories, in a sustainable and responsible manner

We understand that our activities have a positive, but can also have a negative, impact on the surroundings; positive by creating (local) employment and social development, but we also realize that our tourists might have another impact on the environment. We attach great importance to reducing the pressure that tourism exerts on the natural and social living environment of our travel destinations, and we see it as our corporate responsibility, and are committed to, constantly improve in the field of responsible, and maintaining sustainable travel.

On this page we provide more information about which local projects are supported (also financially) by our customers and us and what we do to compensate for the CO2 emissions of our travelers. In addition, we provide tips on what you can do to make the journey ‘greener’. We have also created and adhere to our internal environmental policy with practical measures and, as far as possible, setup clear agreements with our local agents and suppliers.

Our Mission
Our mission is to organize your personal travel experience in such a way that it not only creates unique lifelong memories, but also happens in a sustainable and responsible manner.

Traveling is enriching, but the transport needed to discover new destinations leaves its mark in the form of emissions, including CO2.

Local transportation
Local transfers during our trips are carried out by our local partners. To prevent them from driving around with large half-empty buses, we opt for suitable vehicles that are suitable for the group size.

Co2 Emissions
By compensating the CO2 emissions of the journey, the same amount of CO2 can be prevented elsewhere in the world. With CO2 compensation we do something in return for the climate and for the local population. We advise travelers to compensate CO2 emissions when booking the flight. If you let Explore Namibia organize your flight, you can indicate this in advance.

During a Safari trip through Namibia and/or Botswana, diesel-driven 4x4s are usually part of the package. These strong and robust off-road vehicles are necessary for the majority of unpaved African roads but are unfortunately not the cleanest in terms of CO2 emissions.

Co2-Neutral Tourism
On the road to CO2-neutral tourism, the Explore Africa Group works closely with the Tourism Supporting Conservation Trust (TOSCO), which has set up its own CO2 compensation program in Namibia: Permaculture organization Eloolo. This initiative offers tourists the opportunity to travel with a ´clear conscience´ by co-investing in planting trees as a means to offset the direct CO2 emissions from vehicles.

It is estimated that every liter of diesel emits 2.64 kg of CO2, while a tree can absorb around 100 kg of carbon during its lifetime. For example, to fully compensate a two-week trip of approximately 3.000 kilometers with an SUV or 4×4 (with an average consumption of 14 liters/100 km), one would have to support the planting of 3 trees. The larger the vehicle, the more trees are needed for a CO2 neutral journey.

Co2-Compensation
Explore Namibia offers a (partial) CO2 COMPENSATION for your 4WD self-drive journey. We do this by purchasing CO2 compensation units. For every two CO2 compensation units, one native Namibian tree will be planted by the organizations TOSCO en Eloolo.

One CO2 compensation unit with a value of Euro 15 is included in your tour with Explore Namibia. This compensates for the emissions of around 500 km of 4 × 4 driving. The purchase of CO2 compensation units is unlimited, but the purchase of two units is already enough for planting one new tree. All trees that have been purchased are planted and maintained at the Moreson School.

The Moreson School is a school for mentally and physically handicapped children. The trees that are planted are mainly fruit trees, which the children themselves take care of. The fruit tree harvest will be used as a supplement to the children’s diet but will also serve as a source of income in the future, as the fruit will be processed into jams and juices.

The children learn how to cook, process wood and are also involved in making bricks. The Moreson School program is designed to give children a future in ´basic´ professions. We are very proud to support this special school and we are happy to receive all the support.

Accommodation
Many of the accommodations that we book are small-scale, locally owned and run by families that will also stimulate the growth of the local economy. We also make use so-called eco lodges and tented camps.

Waste
Waste prevention focuses on preventing and limiting waste and on reducing the environmental damage caused by waste. We therefore separate the waste in paper & cardboard, toners, batteries, glass and residual waste for recycling at all our offices.

Paper use
We are working hard to reduce paper usage. Marketing material and travel information is greatly distributed digitally and the number of brochures to be printed is fully adapted to the demand for brochures and all office paper is recycled where possible.

We support the initiative to have disposable plastic items completely removed from the chain. The first focus is on items that are used on a large scale and that both our employees and guests can miss, such as plastic bag, straws, cups and stirrers.

We encourage and make available the use of reusable cups and bottles and cloth bags instead of plastic. But you can also help further. The small bottles of shampoo, lotion and shower gel in the hotel rooms result in piles of plastic waste. No matter how refreshing they look, resist the urge to use them and continue to stimulate their production. Fill reusable bottles with your own care products at home.

We actively support the ANVR and ECPAT-NL in combating child prostitution in holiday countries. We invite you to be alert to the abuse of children with us. If you see an incident or suspect something, you can make an online (anonymous) report at: www.dontlookaway.nl/uk

Sustainable tourism is not just for travel companies. As a traveler you are an essential link in this. Therefore, it is very important that our travelers are well informed. We want to play an active role in providing this information. Because you too can contribute to sustainable tourism by enjoying nature responsibly and respecting local customs during your holiday:

Be careful with our nature
The motto for every traveler should be ´take only memories, leave only footprints …´. Watch what you throw away. Consider the danger of fire in hot and dry areas/countries. Recycle where possible.

Reduce the use of natural resources
Take a quick shower instead of a bath; reuse towels; turn off the lights and the air conditioning when you leave. Do not use more water than necessary. Water is scarce in Southern Africa. Travel with a refillable water bottle. Take your own water bottle with you and buy no or as few plastic disposable bottles as possible. Use local filling stations at the hotels and restaurants. Use rechargeable batteries. These can be used for a long time and this is eventually cheaper but certainly much better for the environment than the use of disposable batteries.

Souvenirs from nature
Please do not take pure souvenirs from nature. Wildflowers or plants, stones or shells must stay where they belong. This category also includes hardwood, coral, shells, starfish, ivory, fur, feathers, skins, bone, teeth, eggs, reptiles and turtles. When in doubt: do not take it.

Wild animals are not there to entertain us
Do not go to shows with animals, do not ride an elephant or do not go for a monkey photo. It seems harmless, but unfortunately many of these activities precede animal suffering.

We do believe it is important to contribute to the development of Africa. Even though the countries in Southern Africa are relatively stable compared to other African countries in terms of economy and politics, it is still a developing country that must deal with high unemployment rates and a large number of children unable to attend school.

With our own Explore Namibia Education Trust Fund we invest in a better future for the younger generations of Africa.